Jude 20-21

The Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22 lists the fruits of the Spirit and the entry point of that list is love. All the rest falls on that foundation. In our verse today, Jude is encouraging us to keep building on our faith everyday. He acknowledges that this cannot be done without the help of the Holy Spirit but then, in agreement with Paul’s list of the gifts of the Spirit, Jude emphasized the importance of our love for God. This really simplifies things for me. I’m to lean into the Holy Spirit as a means to keep myself in the love of God.

And what should be the focus of our love? The incredible mercy we receive from our Lord Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice, that has afforded us eternal life. Just that fact should make our hearts melt with affection, adoration, and thanksgiving.

Keeping and being kept,

Pastor Gerard Deleeuw

Song of Solomon 6:3

I wonder how much of the marriage counseling I do at the church could be lessened if the two parties would remember this verse. I certainly want to apply it to my marriage. My wife, my beloved, is mine and I am hers. She isn’t to be shared with anyone else nor am I to stray. Even if I get busy, it doesn’t stop my wife from being only second in importance to Jesus Himself.

My dear married friends, please remember your spouse is the one the Lord has chosen for you, your beloved. If we remember that, marriage will be a blessing and a joy. Read this verse with your beloved and praise the Lord for your spouse!

Love to my wife,

Pastor Ron Kitchell

What a good word: Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. But what does that mean? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, shown clearly at Calvary, where Jesus took the punishment for our sins and offers us forgiveness and life through Him. That same grace is available to serve the Lord. Though I am not worthy of His many blessings, I rely upon them for fruitfulness.

There is nothing that will come your way grace from God will not prepare you to handle. His power, insight, deliverance, and wisdom will give you victory over the enemy and the obstacles and the pressures of this life. God’s grace! All He has available is available to you by His grace. I am blessed indeed!

Not worthy of it but standing by His marvelous grace!

Pastor Jack Abeelen

God is warning Israel to be wary and to not become entangled with the inhabitants of the land when the time comes to possess the land which God promised to Abraham. He does not want the Israelites lured away by the gods of the land and thereby diminish their worship of the one and true living God.

Likewise saints, we are not to become entangled with the ways of the world. Our citizenship is in heaven and our hearts belong to Jesus. We need to walk cautiously (Ephesians 5:15), making sure we do not become lured away into activities, sinful or otherwise, that diminish our worship and devotion to the Lord. Father, guard our hearts and minds, and by your Spirit, give us the desire and strength to keep our focus solely on You.

Jeff Mericle

Isaiah 9:6

Seven hundred years before the first Christmas, Isaiah wrote these words about the coming Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. The child being born speaks of His virgin birth. The Son being given speaks of His eternity—He has been the Son of God, with the Father, through the ages.

Some years ago—you may remember it—man first stepped onto the moon. The President of the United States said, “The planting of human feet upon the moon is the greatest event in human history.”

No, the greatest event in human history was when God came to Earth and planted His feet here. We call that the incarnation—Almighty God stepped out of Heaven, His ivory palaces, into this world of woe, and put His feet upon this earth.

Share this with someone you know today: The first Christmas, God sent a package to earth, a gift of deity wrapped up in humanity. What a marvelous thing this is! It’s supernatural. Never forget this: Jesus is God in human flesh.

Pastor William Del Casale

Exodus 34:24

In this chapter, Moses returns to meet with God on Mount Sinai in order for God to hew a second set of the 10 commandments to replace what Moses had previously destroyed in anger at the people (Exodus 32). God renewed the covenant with the nation, reiterated the law of first fruits, and reiterated the yearly feast requirements. The feasts required the men to travel from their homes to where the Lord was, whether it be the tabernacle or the future temple in Jerusalem. They were to leave their farms or businesses to make some long journeys, exposing their livelihood and families to threat and destruction.

Notice that God does not command them to do something that will put their land or families in jeopardy, because the command reassures them that nobody will covet their land when they go to appear before the LORD. Obedience to the Lord brings blessing. When God calls us to a task, or when we seek to obey Him, the ultimate end is going to be blessing. Are you nervous or fearful to step out and make a commitment to wholeheartedly serve the Lord? Fear not, God will guard you and keep you as you serve Him.

Jeff Mericle

Ephesians 2:8-9

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is filled with weighty and wonderful theology that deserves our attentive meditation. This is one of the most simply stated truths, so much so that children are encouraged to memorize it. In fact, if you as an adult have not done so, I assure you that meditation on this verse will be most profitable. Each phrase is a well of living water to satisfy our deepest longings for truth.

It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved—not of yourself and not of your works. Salvation is a gift. There will be absolutely no boasting in heaven. We are but recipients of the undeserved gift of salvation. This is what grace is: undeserved treasure freely given to us at great cost—God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. God gets all the glory, and we get all the joy of His presence.

So how can these massive and glorious truths change our perspective today? They can make us smile like a child receiving the one gift he wanted the most on Christmas. Let your inner child smile with joy because you have received the one gift for which you have actually yearned your entire life, and one which you will cherish for all eternity.

Tom Day

Exodus 20:14

The most sacred intimate relationship on this earth, outside of our relationship to God, is the marriage relationship. God created a relationship to be so strong and close that no child, no friend, and no parent should stand between a husband and wife. For a relationship to be this close and strong, it must be protected and it must be cherished. The ultimate offense to this relationship, an act that can give it a death blow from which it may never recover is to be unfaithful to your spouse.

God created marriage to be a relationship where you can be naked or exposed in every way imaginable — physically, emotionally, and spiritually — and still feel safe. To look elsewhere, to lust after another whom is outside of that relationship destroys the bond that was established by your vows before God. It destroys trust, it destroys the security the relationship provided, and thereby destroys the intimacy that such a relationship was created to have.

To be faithful in your marriage both in action and in thought is to free the relationship to grow. It will grow in trust, grow in your ability to feel comfortable with this person who sees all your flaws, and grow in your understanding of God’s faithfulness and grace towards us. Protect the sacredness of your marriage relationship and enjoy the benefits that come flowing out of it despite the many foxes that try and spoil the vines (Song of Solomon 2:15).

Pastor Jason Witt

Joshua 7:19

Are you currently living in sin and think you can hide it and get away with it? Confess it to the Lord now and repent! In 1 John 1:9, the Bible tells us “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God takes the issue of sin seriously. You might think you are getting away with it because you haven’t been caught or think that this sin only affects you, but the truth is it doesn’t. God sees your sin and your sin also affects those around you.

Achan is a good example of how hidden sin will be found out sooner or later and how your sin effects those around you. When it does, it has devastating effects. We read how the children of Israel were defeated at Ai because God was disobeyed. We also read how his family was affected because of his sin. Maybe the reason why we can’t seem to move forward is because there is some sort of unconfessed sin that is holding us back. Let’s make some time today to read Joshua 7.

Confessing my sin to the Lord,

Joshua Navarro

Ephesians 4:1-3

We all have a responsibility to be at peace with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and we are to make every effort to keep unity among us. Yes, we all have different personalities, backgrounds, likes and dislikes, but as Christians, we are all in-dwelt with the same Spirit of God.

We are the spiritual body of Christ, and the most effective way to have unity is to give up our right to ourselves, because when we do, Christ will have an unhindered way in our life. Believers who are in Christ will have the mind of Christ, and there will be a spiritual oneness and a visible unity for the world to see.

Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Pastor Doug Hardin